When Lucy Jordan of Ankeny, Iowa, received news in 2019 that she would need a total knee replacement, there was one thing she was sure of: she wanted Dr. Weresh to perform the surgery. What she didn’t know was where this surgery would be.
Ten years ago, Dr. Weresh had performed a hip replacement surgery, on Lucy during his time at Des Moines Orthopedic Surgeons (DMOS), and he’d exceeded her every expectation. She considered another surgeon at DMOS for her second knee replacement but ultimately did not feel comfortable.
Lucy expressed her concerns to her regular physician, who told her that other patients had made the trip to Atlantic to be seen by Dr. Weresh. While Lucy had every confidence in Dr. Weresh, she had doubts about Cass Health. “I’m a big city girl. I wasn’t so sure about this,” she said.
Furthermore, Lucy was impressed by her Methodist West experience and wondered if Cass Health could compare, thinking, “This is major surgery. I don’t know if I can trust them with this.”
Lucy’s friends were also skeptical. They asked her why she was “going to go all the way down to that little town and let them cut into you?” Despite these concerns from friends, her regular physician and husband convinced her to give Cass Health a chance. She says it was one of the best decisions she has ever made.
Lucy and her husband Pat traveled to Atlantic to have a consultation with Dr. Weresh and were immediately impressed with the facilities and staff. “We were blown away,” she said. “Every person I came into contact with was nice to me, even the cleaning lady. The staff truly wanted to talk to you, and that’s something you don’t get in the big city.”
Lucy was also pleased with the extended amount of time she could spend recovering in the hospital. During her consultation, Dr. Weresh said, “Lucy, you don’t have to rush out of here.” She was not expecting this. She knew at a bigger city hospital she would be released in two short days. Knowing that she could stay longer at Cass Health made her feel much more comfortable.
While Lucy’s confidence in Cass Health was growing, she was still concerned about the infection risk in replacement surgeries. She thought, “What if I come into contact with infection? What will a small-town hospital do about that?” She was relieved to find that patients such as herself were kept separate from others who were very ill to ensure that patients were not at risk for infection.
The initial visit went so well that Lucy went ahead and scheduled her surgery for Nov. 5. It went incredibly well.
“There wasn’t a thing I wasn’t impressed with.” Lucy and Pat commended the friendly staff at Cass Health. In fact, throughout Lucy’s surgery and recovery, Pat decided that RN must stand for “really nice.”
When asked how Cass Health compared to bigger city hospitals, Lucy has a definitive answer: “Cass Health is better. Every single person was compassionate towards me. They wanted me to have the best day I’d ever had.”
If you--like Lucy’s friends--are concerned about scheduling an appointment with Cass Health, Lucy has some advice: “You’ve got to make the trip. You’re in a safe place and it was a wonderful experience. They truly want the best for your health. You’re not going to find that in the big city; you’re just a number to them.”
